Erindor
by Gil90
Summary: My first upload on here. The story of a Thalmor Wizard named Erindor who takes on the task of rebuilding trust in the Dominion. He meets a Shadowscale named Gamguak, and they have become unlikely friends sharing a common goal. This takes place 8 years after Skyrim's Civil War, so it doesn't really conflict with lore, although you may recognize some names. Enjoy :D


_Erindor __of __Alinor_

_Stationed __in __Cloudrest_

_4__E__ 210, 22__nd __of __Frostfall_

_Cloudrest __will __not __hold __much __longer__. __I __write __this __as __the __Imperial __forces __drive __into __the __coral __of __our __safest __walls__. __The __city __has __been __at __siege __for __two __weeks __now__, __and __I __am __afraid __that __our __own __men __will __not __hold __much __longer__. __The __second __Aldmeri __Dominion __is __desperate__, __as __the __last __place __we __have __a __hold __on __is __Cloudrest __itself__. __Only __a __few __years __after __Skyrim__'__s __bloody __conflict __was __resolved __in __our __favor__, __and __we __have __already __lost __it __all__. __But __to __the __matter __at __hand__. __I __am __writing __this __to __notify __any __other __Altmer __who __find __this __of __the __only __hope __the __Dominion __has __of __getting __out __of __here __alive__. __Inside __I __have __sealed __the __directions __to __a __Dae__-_

"Sir, we must clear out. Now."

"Yes, yes, I understand," stated Erindor, addressing the Thalmor soldier at the door. "Just allow me a few more minutes to gather my last thoughts and materials". The soldier nodded, but indicated that there was little time. Erindor went about looking for any materials he had forgotten, double checking everything. He was of average height; tall, of course, for a human, but a common height in Altmer terms. Not too stockily built, he made up for what he lacked in strength with unexceeded skill in Destruction and Restoration magic, a quick tongue, and a keen set of deep amber eyes. He finished his letter and sealed it with a rune, to ensure that only another wizard of his skill could open it. Or that he could open it on another day. One of the two. "Okay," he proceeded hesitantly. "I think I'm ready."

"Very well, sir, follow me"

A loud boom was heard in the distance, and the constant clash of steel against conjured blade did not stop. The Imperials had broken in, and it would not be long until they found where all of the officials were hiding. The soldier led Erindor through the dark corridors of the coral tower, all the while arrows that missed their target slammed against the other side. The duo descended a spiral flight of stairs, until the soldier reached a trapdoor.

"Here it is, sir. Your orders are waiting inside."  
"Ah yes. Thank you." Erindor proceeded inside, where there was another Thalmor wizard standing over a map.

"Erindor. Pleasure to see you. Here are your orders," he stated as he handed Erindor a bundle of papers and packages. "You are to re-establish sympathies for the Aldmeri Dominion by... acting, if you will. The map shows the locations you must visit, the papers are documents you must hand to the corresponding officials. There is a preset route, and whatever allies we have left on that route will protect you. Do not attempt entering High Rock, Hammerfell or Skyrim. You will fail if you do. Use whatever you can to defend yourself, but do not show your true potential, or you will blow your cover as an Altmer commoner. It is imperative that you succeed, as the survival of the Dominion lies on your shoulders. Be timely, and do not fail. Understood?"

"Understood."  
"Goodbye then. For the Dominion."

Hours later, Erindor found himself aboard a small ship with two disguised Thalmor soldiers. He was miles away from his home, yet the night sky was still brilliantly red from the blaze set by the Imperials. He thought to himself, and pondered how he was going to avoid questioning. Any Altmer arriving by boat was sure to be considered suspicious, especially after what had happened in Alinor. He took his mind off of it by picking up the packages that the other Thalmor wizard, Aronil, had given him. They all had an Aldmeri Dominion seal on the top, and were addressed to different people throughout Tamriel. Martin Sextius of the Imperial City, Eraldil of Valenwood, Vlarimil Benirus of Stirk, Nalasa Dreloth of Blacklight, Elenwen in Bruma, Ri'Basha of Corinth, and one last illegible name from the Black Marsh. Not the largest list of people, but if it ensured the survival of the Dominion, it was the least Erindor could do. He figured the boat would be headed towards Stirk first, as it was the closest to the sea cave they left from. Erindor looked up at the night sky, noticing his birth sign. The Atronach. The stars littered the sky, and the twinkling made several shapes, but the Atronach was the only one he noticed. It was what had led to the hardship in his earlier years as one of the few elves who was born with stunted magicka.

The others never believed he had the potential to become a great wizard because of his limited magicka reserves, and he listened. It wasn't until the Thalmor came along a couple of centuries back that Erindor was allowed a brighter future. The Thalmor loved his skill, and his grace and flow of flames, frost and storm. They taught him how to make the most of a situation like his, and he eventually rose even higher, crushing those who used to hold him back. Only one person mattered more than the rest, his name was Volanaro. Volanaro was a mentor of Erindor, the one who taught him everything he knew about magic. If it weren't for Volanaro, Erindor would not be what he is today. He sometimes wonders about his two other friends who learned from Volanaro with him. There was Aicantar, who was shutout for his obsession with machinery, and Estormo, who was always considered useless for being too headstrong and reckless. along with Erindor, all of them were never really valued in the Alinor's society because of their faults. But Volanaro changed that. The Thalmor sent them to him for training, and he was glad to train them. He saw growing potential in them everyday, and was proud of it. He valued them. But then the day came. It was the 14th of Second Seed, and they had all hiked up to the mountain where Volanaro trained them for years. Estormo and Erindor had been talking a lot the night before, but Aicantar was very confused about how he felt that day. They arrived at the summit, where Volanaro greeted them. He soon frowned, however.

"Something is different," He said. "You come bearing grim news."

"On the contrary," exclaimed Estormo. "We bring you news of success!"

"What do you bring me?"

"Well," Estormo explained. "We've been speaking with Aronil for the past couple of weeks, and—"

"You wish to enlist," Volanaro cut in. "Don't you?" Erindor felt a shift in the air, as everything became uneasy for both him and Aicantar. Estormo looked the disappointed Volanaro straight in the eye.

"Yes. Yes we do."

"I should have seen this coming," sighed Volanaro. "I thought you were all brighter, but I had hoped for too much". Estormo was extremely upset at this comment.

"I thought you would be proud!" he said, raising his voice. "Is this not what you wanted us to become all along? Didn't you train us for the sole purpose of enlisting?"

"If that's what you believe," responded Volanaro, "then I'm am regretful to say that I have trained you wrongly". Estormo gave a frustrated grunt and stormed off, as Erindor followed shortly behind. Aicantar followed a couple of feet behind, leaving Volanaro to think by himself. That afternoon, Erindor and Estormo both enlisted. Aicantar boarded a boat the next morning to see his uncle, as he was afraid of what was to happen. The first day of orders came, and Estormo was given his first contract: kill Volanaro. That night, Erindor would lie in bed for a sleepless evening, waiting for Estormo's return.

Erindor looked down from the heavens, towards the horizon. The stillness of the water was eerie. It seemed to contradict everything that had happened just hours ago. One of the soldiers came to Erindor. "Sir, we've spotted what seems to be a cargo ship in the distance". Erindor stood up and looked out. "That's no cargo ship..." he stated, putting down his telescope. "That's a plunderer's ship!"

2

Gamguak put the telescope down, resting it on a storage crate. "That's it all right, an Aldmeri ship". He jumped down from the stack of crates covered in tarps. "Good work, Gerrilgor. And to think we were about to head the opposite direction. Here, you've earned it" Gamguak said, tossing the Bosmer a bag of gold. Gerrilgor ran into the cabin to store it away. Gamguak rested his tail against a crate on board, as it began to sprinkle on the lightly clouded night. "And yet again the Hist leads us to a potential holder," he says, looking around at the rest of his crew. "We are really quite privileged, aren't we now?" He had assembled a not-too-impressive crew of a few others around his age. Gerrilgor was a previous member of the infamous Silver Crescents, but desired far more riches than they had allowed. Raven Indalen was a smith in Gnisis before the Red Year, and had joined with the crew after the entire town was destroyed, being one of the few survivors. Cyrus was a bandit running with a pack through the Alik'r desert and stopping caravans for their goods. His pack eventually got caught, and he was the only one who escaped execution. And finally is Gulum-Ei, an ex-fence for the Thieves Guild in Skyrim. After re-establishing his ties with the Guild, he was arrested for working with them, his whole operation in the East Empire Warehouse blown. Having nowhere to go, he ran into Gamguak on his travels, and they both found a recently abandoned ship named the Dainty Sload, not too far from where Gulum-Ei was fired. They cleared it out together, and set sail. The crew had wordlessly established a leader, and that leader was Gamguak. He was a Shadowscale, born under the sign of the Shadow. Born and raised by the Dark Brotherhood in an abandoned mine near Soulrest in the Black Marsh, Gamguak and his fellow Shadowscale Veezara were the last two to be trained, in hopes that they would grow later and train more. Gamguak was much more skilled in the ways of stealth than Veezara, who simply appeared and killed. Gamguak preferred killing them silently, shooting an arrow from a dark corner, or plunging a dagger into their heart as they slept. And so, him and Veezara did have their differences. It was not until one night that those differences would mean the end. They were both sent on a mission to assassinate a noble in Leyawiin. This noble was very paranoid, and had spring loaded several traps inside of his home. As they entered, Gamguak had given Veezara a warning, telling him to watch out for anything. Veezara told him to relax, and proceeded to step right on a tripwire that sent an explosion through the house. Of course, the noble was now dead, but they had not had the pleasure of killing him, and there was no doubt that the guards were on their way to investigate. Confused in the flames, Veezara called out for Gamguak's name, and Gamguak the same. Gamguak fell into the cellar, and into a tunnel that took him out of the city, while Veezara leaped out of the flames and onto the grass behind the house. He saw the guards haul a body across the road, and he could only assume it was his Shadowscale brother Gamguak. Veezara gave up on assassination soon after, only to be found by Astrid years later. Gamguak ran off to Elsweyr during that time, thinking Veezara dead. He eventually learned of his location, however, and journeyed to Skyrim to see his fellow Shadowscale once more. Gamguak arrived to see the smoke and flames roaring out of the Sanctuary.

"That's an Aldmeri ship, no doubt about it," stated Raven. "But how can you be sure that it'll have what you're looking for? Will it really be worth all the trouble?"

"We wouldn't be here if that ship didn't have what we're looking for, Raven," replied Gamguak. "Now get the ship ready, we're going to anchor onto the side."

The Dainty Sload sailed right up, and harpooned onto Erindor's ship. As fast as the harpoons had shot out, the crew was climbing down onto the boat. The two Thalmor soldiers automatically pulled out dual Destruction spells, which were of no use as Cyrus hauled them both overboard, into the still but freezing water. Gerrilgor held a scimitar against Erindor's throat, who gulped in nervousness, trying not to break character until the last moment.

"What do we do with this one?" said Gerrilgor, wanting to cut something else.

There was no uneasiness in Erindor's eyes. He stared straight ahead, knowing what was going to happen, and holding his Welkynd stone ring in the palm of his hand. He stood with his hands up, but prepared for anything. Gamguak saw this. "Put the sword down," he said, gesturing at Gerrildor while looking at Erindor, entertained.

"This one's different".

Erindor struggled to get free of the binds, the rope coiling around him and gripping tight, like a snake getting its prey.

"What do you call yourself?" said Gamguak, sharpening his dagger slowly against a horker tusk. "I mean, of course, what is your given name?"

Erindor continued to struggle against the rope. "Let me free! I am but a poor farmer, nothing of interest to you!"

"Really, now?" Gamguak inquired, amused. "I wasn't aware of any farmers that carried around Ayleid rings. You wouldn't happen to be a special kind of farmer, now, would you?"

"What are you talking about? I have absolutely no idea what that is! It's just an heirloom!"

"He isn't going to talk" said Raven. "He's definitely got something of interest."

"Yes, I know" continued Gamguak. "Perhaps a method a little more persuasive". He looked towards Erindor as he continued to pace around the deck. "Do you know what blood draining is, Elf? It's a rather delicate art. Absorbing one's own life force bit by bit until they are forced into submission. Of course, there isn't much left of the person afterward. That's the beauty of it"

"You wouldn't!" scoffed Erindor.

"Oh," whispered Gamguak, bending close. "You really think I wouldn't?" as he pressed a leech ring onto Erindor's chest.

Erindor looked down. He had no choice."Ok" he said reluctantly. "What do you want from me?". Amused laughter rose from the crew as a pleased Gamguak withdrew the leech ring from a captive Erindor's chest.

"I want a lot of things, you see. Gold, Power, Revenge. But don't we all? There are those, however, who wish beyond that. They wish for things greater than any of these. They wish for things to quench their undying thirst, to satisfy their insatiable hunger. Things that no other man could ever have. Now see, some of these things exist in the various Daedric realms". Erindor listened uncomfortably, for he knew not where this was going. Gamguak continued. "Others, well, others exist right here, on our mortal plane of existence. Hidden in the most obvious places, or guarded within the places people dare not walk into. And the last are hidden out of our reach. In the folds time and space itself. Perhaps not even in that, but outside. Extra-dimensional, if you will."

"What are you getting at?" questioned Erindor. "Are you led to believe that I am in the possession of... an Elder Scroll?"

"No, no, my brother, you've misunderstood. The Elder Scrolls themselves are simply a fraction of the things out there. They belong to this group of objects, yes, but are only a few of the rest. I'm not looking for the Elder Scrolls. I am looking for the Elder Artifacts".

3

Cloudrest lay in ruin. It was visible from what was left of the Crystal Tower. Or rather, what was toppled during the Oblivion Crisis. The Altmer had used similar magic to that of Vivec himself to raise the toppled tower into the heavens, where it lay hidden in the sky, shrouded by clouds. But from the tower, one could see all of the Summerset Isle. All of the flames, rising from all of the major cities who had not surrendered. Which was all of them. The Aldmeri Dominion was no more, trampled by the Imperials. _But __perhaps __there __is __hope__, _thought the lonely figure at the top of the tower. _Perhaps __there __is __some one __out __there __trying __to __fix __things __still__. __Perhaps __the __Altmer __can __still __come __out __on __top__. __Days __have __gone __by__, __however__, __and __Meridia __has __not __heeded __our __calls__. __I __wonder __what __will __happen __now__. _He sat alone, at the top of the tower, the clouds moving across his transfixed gaze. All he could see was the distant continent of Tamriel. He knew something was bound to happen. He had seen it coming. He sat on his crystal throne, gazing into space. _Meridia__, __fourth __element __of __light__, __hear __my __words__. __Guide __him __with __your __light__, __for __he __has __been __lost__. __Aid __me __in __reclaiming __what __was __once __ours__. _He repeated the words constantly, until he kneeled on the floor, begging the Daedra to heed his words.

_My __child__, _Meridia said. _Your __voice __has __reached __me__. __Your __work __with __the __beacon __has __impressed __me__. __I __shall __guide __your __target __to __his __success__. __May __the __beacon __light __his __path __for __eternity__._

The elf looked up, with bewildered eyes. _Thank __you __Meridia__. __Thank __you__._ He continued to lay in a child-like pose, cowering with joy. She had heeded his calls. She had found him. She had led him with the light. He was glad. He stared off into Tamriel once again, with a new found passion and hatred. _Gods __curse __you__, __Tamriel__. __Gods __curse __you __and __all __that __you__'__ve __done__. __May __you __be __stricken __by __Kynareth__'__s __storm__, __as __you __have __defiled __her __land__. __May __Arkay __raise __the __armies __of __dead __he __was __sworn __to __balance __against __you__. __May __Auri__-__El __destroy __your __time __on __Mundus__, __and __raise __his __firstborn __once __again__. __Gods __curse __you__, __Tamriel__. _The elf stared intensely at the distant continent, and swore to destroy it. _Your __days __are __numbered__, __Tamriel__. __Heed __my __warning__. __Give __in__to __my __messenger__, __or __face __my __wrath__. _And so he waited. Seated on a crystal throne, at the top of the tallest spire in the world. Waiting. And watching.

Erindor sat alone on the deck of the ship. Rain whipped against his face as the winds blew the Dainty Sload along. He blew water out of his mouth as he sat, gazing straight ahead across the deck. He did not know what the Argonian wanted, much less why he was still on the ship. He stared at a crate across the vessel. His ring, along with the rest of his belongings, was in that crate. If only he could reach it. Then he saw it. There, just a few feet away from him, lay an iron dagger. It was beginning to rust, and Erindor sensed it had seen better days, but if he could just reach it, he knew he'd be able to cut himself loose. _And __with __all __the __rainfall__, __thunder __and __wind__, __I__'__m __sure __no __one __would __hear __me__._ Erindor looked around, making sure no one was present. _They__'__ve __probably __all __gone __and __gotten __far __too __drunk __to __care __anyway__. __Maybe __I__'__ll __burn __the __ship __as __I __leave__. _He inched slowly toward the dagger, trying his best to center his balance so he wouldn't fall on his side. Once he reached the crate with the dagger on it, he shoved his body against it, repeatedly slamming his body weight into the crate, which eventually gave in and broke, to Erindor's dismay. Cold and wet, he lay on his side for a couple of minutes, before realizing that there was a wedge stuck on his back. Springing into a rigid position, he struggled against the binds until little by little, they began loosening. He could almost feel himself freed, when he heard rough singing. He knew the voice. It was the elf from the crew, Gerrilgor. "..Once was a woman, as fair as an evening, of springtime in old Stros M'kaaaaa—oomph!" sang the Bosmer, tripping over crates as he went. _The __drunk __fool__, __he__'__s __slowing __down __my __escape__, _thought Erindor. _Let__'__s __just __hope __he __doesn__'__t __find __me __like __this__, __or __he__'__ll __know __what __I__'__m __up __to__. _As if on cue, the Wood Elf crashed through scrap wood, and fell flat on his face, right next to the shocked Erindor. Slowly, grunting along the way, Gerrilgor turned his head directly at Erindor. "Mhmmmhm... you, uh, elf!" He slumped a hand forward and pointed an accusing finger. Averting his gaze to something above Erindor, the Bosmer lay with his eyes half open and bloodshot, drool oozing slowly out of his mouth. He spoke words, or rather phonetic sounds, too slurred to comprehend, and then passed out on the deck. Erindor exhaled. _That __was __easier __than __I __had __anticipated__. _He continued against the rope, until the last of his binds broke free. Stretching his arms out slowly, he patted Gerrilgor down, finding a sack of gold, a key and a Dwarven dagger. It would suffice until he could get his ring back. Peering above the smashed crate, Erindor noticed that his supplies were no longer there. Cursing softly to himself, he began looking around to see if they had fallen to the side, or somewhere else on the deck. After all the struggling to be freed, Erindor had not noticed that the ongoing storm had finally subsided, and the it was almost entirely silent now.

"Looking for something?" a voice came, from somewhere around him. Erindor looked around.

"Wh-who are you?" he said, whipping out the dagger. "Show yourself!"

"My my my, we've got a tough one here, hmm?"

"I'm not joking! Show yourself now, or I will react with violence!"

"Listen, I'm not here to hurt you," the voice said, as Erindor's ring dropped onto the deck. "Although, you don't look as strong as I had heard. I'm honestly a little.. disappointed"

"Hmph." grumbled Erindor, looking up. He knew where the voice was coming from. Slipping the ring on, he calmly stated "Now show yourself, and there won't be trouble"

"Very well," said the voice. "If that's what you wish". A quick sweeping motion followed, as the host of the voice fell onto the deck. Landing on both her feet, an Imperial stood before him. "Marara," she smiled. "Pleased to finally meet you"

"Wha-What do you want from me?" Erindor questioned, confused and dagger still drawn.

"Relax, little Elf," laughed Marara. She drew closer and pushed the dagger down. "I'm not one of them."

Erindor kept the dagger down, put stood in the position, paralyzed in confusion. "Why are you here?"

"You ask a lot of questions, elf."

"O-only because this isn't exactly the, ah, best way to introduce oneself. Where are my belongings?"

"Oh," Marara seemed to remember about them. "First let's see what's in them"

Erindor protested as she dumped the contents onto the deck.

"Enchanted rings.. not new. Spell tomes.. expected. Research notes.. dull subjects. Oh what's this?"

"Uh, nononono! Please don—"

"The Lusty Argonian Maid? Both volumes?" She giggled as she inspected the book, flipping pages. "My, my, looks like we have a—"

"Tha-that's really n-nothing!" Erindor blushed. "P-put that down!"

"Fine, fine," she said. "Can't have a bit of fun, can we? What's this?" She picked up the Thalmor packages. "Ah yes, your orders."

"H-how did you know?"

"You think everything's a secret, don't you? Cute."

"Listen, it's not your business!"

"Alright, alright, I'll leave". She winked "It won't be the last time you see me, be warned" and with that, she was off. Erindor was left speechless, as he gathered his things and got ready to leave. _Once__I__reach__Stirk_he thought, _No__one__will__follow__me__._ He gazed at the stars, in thought.

4

"What do you mean you don't know!?"

Gamguak stormed around deck, on an angry tirade. "I leave all of you one job, and what do you all do? You butcher it, that's what! And you!" he pointed directly at Gerrilgor. "Some watch you are! I'm starting to consider why I even took you off the streets in the first place!"

"Gamguak," said Raven softly. "I think you're losing clarity"

"You know what? You.. you're probably right.." he let out a deep sigh. "I just...I.."

"It's okay," said Cyrus. "We can always inform ourselves at our next port"

"Which is Stirk, I know. I just knew he had something, just some piece of information. I gave up my previous lifestyle for this, and I can't imagine having done it in vain"

"We know, and we want to help you," consoled Raven. "But we can't if you keep blowing your head off like this. Let's just consider what we already have. 7 artifacts. 7 whole artifacts. That's more than anyone could ever even hope of getting together in their entire lifetime"

"I.. suppose you're right. Very well. We sail for Anvil once we've cleaned the mess on deck and repaired the broken mast. Everybody helps. Move on!"


End file.
